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Townhall
Don't Shoot
(Your Mouth Off) Before All the Facts Are Known
Debra J. Saunders
Nov 30, 2014
We hand a man a gun and ask him to protect us. If something goes
horribly wrong, perhaps in a flurry of panic, we don't rush to punish
him. We make sure a criminal justice system meant to protect all
citizens also protects him. We blanket him in the presumption of
innocence. It's the reason juries are loath to convict and, as happened
in Missouri, grand juries are loath to indict officers involved in
shootings.
So do I believe that Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson might not
have confronted Michael Brown, 18, and his friend Dorian Johnson, 22,
if they had been white kids walking in the middle of the street on a
hot Saturday morning? Yes, I do. But I also find Wilson's explanation
credible. He testified that he approached the young men because he saw
cars swerving around them. It's his job to keep the community safe.
Wilson also testified that Brown prevented him from getting out of the
patrol car, that Brown punched him and that Brown tried to take his
gun. Physical evidence corroborates some of Wilson's story. Video of
Brown shoving a convenience store clerk in what has been described as a
strong-arm robbery minutes before the encounter adds credence to
Wilson's account. Brown may have been unarmed, but that doesn't mean he
wasn't menacing.
I do not believe that Brown deserved to die. I also don't think Wilson
deserved to die, as he says he feared would happen if Brown overpowered
him.
It is clear from Wilson's testimony that he was not at home in
Ferguson's Canfield Green neighborhood. He called it an "anti-police
area." After the shooting, he didn't want to return to his squad car,
because he feared residents would identify him. When he called for
backup, he asked for "a supervisor and every car you got" -- but not an
ambulance. Wilson's next job will not be social worker...
Read the rest of the article at Townhall
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